Arbor
by elusively today
Summary: Thalia, Annabeth, and Luke. Inseperable. Free to run wherever they want. Until one day... AU, AH rated T for blood and maybe swearing
1. Chapter 1

She pulled the ratty comforter up, above her eyes, to block the little spiders.

Spiders. Scuttling around and around, a whirlwind of arachnids coming closer and closer. And even closer.

Spiders crawling up the blanket. Spiders nesting in her mattress, in her hair. Arms tingling from the little legs.

She screamed.

The door was flung open. "Annabeth!

You'll wake the babies! Shut up!"

"O-okay mama..."

Helen gave her one last glare before turning around and slamming the door shut.

The spiders were back.

And one had a red hourglass on its back...

"Daddy!"

"Anna?"

Annabeth gave him a warm, happy hug, her short arms not encircling his waist. She smiled merrily as she snuggled into her father's jacket. Frederick smiled too, watching the light snowfall fall upon them.

"Anna, put on your coat."

"'Kay, Daddy!"

He took the jacket, helping her into the armholes, buttoning the holes she couldn't reach.

"Daddy, look!"she said as she pointed into the far distance. The empire state building stood, its tall lightning rod grasping the heavens.

"An architectural wonder," Frederick muttered as he held Annabeth's hand.

"I'm gonna build something like that too!" Annabeth smiled even wider, reminding him of another marvelous architect he knew, who was waiting for them at home...

"Sure, honey. Let's go home and have some hot chocolate."

"'Kay, Daddy!"

What had happened to those days?

Those days when Annabeth slept soundly, when he would watch her little face light up with excitement?

Those days when Athena was still there?

Those days when happiness and joy reigned over the Chase household?

They were gone, and now Helen was there. Frederick was burdened with work, burdened with Helen's abusive words and nagging, burdened with little Annabeth's screams at night. And he, as a father, couldn't even go save her from her spiders. He couldn't save her from Helen's abuse, or the lack of food which triggered Annabeth's hallucinations.

Frederick couldn't do anything.

"I'm sorry Annabeth," he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks.

He pulled the revolver out of his drawer...

"Daddy?!"

"Daddy, where are you?"

Annabeth flung open the door to Frederick's office. "Daddy, can-"

Before her, she saw a sight no seven-year-old should see.

There was her father, sitting in his chair, his head destroyed by a bullet. Bits of gore and brain splattered on the chair, its fine leather stained with blood. His arms were limp, his glasses askew.

Screams echoed through the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaaaay: lol yes it happened:)

SetFireToTheRainbow: Thank you! And I suppose maybe a little flirting or something, but not a real big relationship. (even though I ship them in my heart of hearts:) Thanks for the fav!

Guest: Haha, cliche? Probably going to end up that way anyway. But, anyways, thank you!

LoonyLinny: It was too fun to resist. I'll add some more blood ;)

Alright, back to the story!

* * *

It's been a week since Annabeth found Frederick dead.

A week of more abuse from Helen. A week of hallucinations. A week of nightmares.

Every night, she would wake up, covered in cold sweat, from a dream of her father. And it wasn't one of her happy memories.

This night was the same. Her dream began.

It was Frederick, sitting on his chair in the exact same way he always did.

He was an alive human again. Annabeth watched him spin his chair around to look at her, a small grin tugging at his lips.

She smiled back.

Frederick outstretched his arms, causing Annabeth to step forward, ready to recieve a hug.

And all of a sudden, he changed back into a corpse. There was a hole in his head with blood dripping out of it. And now he was about to grab her...

Annabeth woke with a loud scream.

Followed by a loud wailing from Bobby.

And the door was opened again.

"Idiot,"Helen hissed.

The stepmother grabbed Annabeth by the collar amd dragged her downstairs.

The petite Asian walked into the kitchen, pulling out each cabinet and drawer. "Damnit, that stupid man..."

Annabeth watched her fearfully. Helen wouldn't do anything bad, right...?

"Finally! Annabeth, come here."

She held a butcher's knife in her hand.

OOOOO

Annabeth was crying.

She sat at the dining table, her head slumping forward. The tablecloth was stained with a salty mixture of blood and tears.

Would she die alone, limp in a chair, like her father?

At least there would be a connection to him.

A connection, indeed...

OOOOO

She needed to get out of here.

But she was only seven, what could she do? Nothing, besides using her wits. And for the first time in years, she smiled.

Using her wits?

Easy enough.

"Annabeth, move your sorry ass off my chair. You're getting stains on the carpet."

Helen appeared, knife still in hand. Any plan she had would wait.

"Yes, Helen."

Annabeth tried to get off the chair. "Ah!"

An incredibly large splotch of crimson formed on the floor. Annabeth fell on it, her wounds re-opening.

"AH! Mommy!"

"I'm not your mommy."

"Wasn't...AH!...talking... to...yo-ou..."

And with one last cough of blood, Annabeth lay still.

"Mommy..."


	3. Chapter 3

SFTTR: I LOVE THALUKE TOO! But for the sake of this story, I shall not make Thaluke canon, because NEVER MIND NO SPOILERS I'll try to update as soon as I can!

Jaaaay: OMG Thank you for the fav! And probably not, since this story centralizes more on Annabeth. Sorry! Bu I might write a companion piece with Thalia and Luke.

Should I count this story as horror?

* * *

A butcher's knife...

Blood and tears...

A chair...

Annabeth woke up with a start.

"Will, she's woken from the anesthesia."

She felt groggy and dizzy. The world spun around her in a blur..

Annabeth tried to sit up. "Ah!"

"Lie down, child. You'll only hurt yourself more."

The world slowed down. It was mostly white.

She was in a hospital.

Annabeth looked at her arms. Where were her cuts? They seemed to be gone.

Ah. Stitches.

She almost cried with relief.

Then Annabeth remembered. "Where's Helen?"

"Your stepmother? She was taken by the police. I reckon she's going to rehab," the doctor replied, biting back a comment that would be spelled in asterisks.

Now Annabeth cried with both relief and sadness. Helen was gone. Gone.

Freedom was hers.

How good it felt.

OOOOO

Freedom?

Perhaps not.

For days and weeks, Annabeth was forced to stay in the hospital.

At first, it was fine.

Then, it got boring.

Having ADHD didn't help either.

One day, a strange man took her and whisked her off...

...to an orphanage.

OOOOO

She despised this orphanage.

Why would she?

There was food, bed, and drink.

There was moldy food, bread fuzzy with the white green substance. Vegetables were wilted, with caterbillar bites in them. Fruit was covered with fruit fly eggs, and all the food there was just perfect.

For the garbage, that is.

Drinks?

Water, stale beyond belief. Curdled milk. A mysterious liquid thatmight have been apple juice.

But the beds were the most horrible.

Dirty enough for pigs to roll in, with tattered sheets and torn pillows.

And worst of all, bedbugs.

Everywhere on the bed. Crawling, creeping, sucking your blood.

Annabeth didn't mind the food or drink, but the bedbugs.

They were her hallucinations in reality.

OOOOO

There was one more thing.

The deaths of the kids.

Eventually, the food and water would kill the children.

More than half would die, but there were still many pouring into the orphanage. And soon, they would realize the horror of this damned place.

Too many people died from this terrible place.

Too many.

Not counting the suicides.

OOOOO

And a year and a half after being sent here, nine-year old Annabeth finally wanted her freedom.

She was done with this orphanage. It was time to leave.

OOOOO

It was easy.

She simply made a rope of her sheets, and climbed down the window, cloaked in the darkness of the night.

It was cliché, she knew, but it worked.

OOOOO

"She's pretty, isn't she?"

Although this was usually a compliment, Annabeth was sure this gang of boys didn't mean well.

"Leave me alone!"

Although she fought back, one nine year old was no match for four teenagers.

And she didn't want to think of what they would do to her.


	4. Chapter 4

OH. MY. EFFING. GOSH.

318 VIEWS!*insert fangirly squeal*

For the sake of my lovely readers, I will update! F*** you, hiatus! Laaaaa~~~

RevolutionLover: O.O adtcyvbibiutufuttfuftdyeseasasfdt(translation: BOTH A FAV AND A FOLLOW? YOU ARE JUST TOO AWESOME!)

naynaynaynay: *faints of follows AND favs*

percyjacksonfantothecore: *dies of another fav* BUT WHADDYA MEAN THEY AIN'T CANON?!

Jay: *cough*indeed*cough* Let the suspense begin...

Also, vote on ma poll! It's on my profile, and for the sake of Arbor, DO IT! *cheers*

* * *

"Leave me alone! Go away, you meanie-"

"Hell, isn't she annoying?"

Annabeth's brain was screaming for her to get out of there. Her heart was racing, even faster than her mind was whirring. _God, please, no, leave me alone..._ She tried to scream against the dirty rag covering her mouth, but to no avail.

"Hey, just how many of you gits are gangin' up on a little girl?"

A ebony haired girl appeared on the scene, her electric blue eyes fierce with determination. Although her hair was messy and her jeans ripped and dirty, she was Annabeth's Wonder Woman.

The teenagers, albeit sensing her intimidating aura, pulled up what little courage they had, and came back with, "Oh, so you can't count?"

The girl rolled her eyes, replying, "Beautiful comeback, thank you."

All of a sudden, a boy, sandy-haired and blue-eyed, peeked out.

"Hey Thals- OH SHIT WHO ARE THESE WEIRDOS THAT LITTLE GIRL IS BEIN-"

"Shut up, Luke."

The boy, apparently named Luke, glared at Annabeth's abductors, growling, "Release her."

"No."

"Thals, help me a bit?"

Luke pulled out a golf club, and swung it, straight at a boy's leg. It hit with a sickening _crack. _The boy screamed in pain, clutching his calf. Soon, his hands were covered with sticky crimson blood, his pants soaked in the same liquid. He cried out once more before a well placed blow to his head knocked him out.

While Luke was busy with the boy, another teenager crept up behind him, a Swiss army knife ready to slash his guts open.

The blue-eyed girl's eyes flashed brighter than ever, eyebrows creasing into a frown. She unclasped a silver bracelet from her arm, whipping it with perfect presicion around the knife boy's neck. She pulled him in, him gagging and spitting, forgetting all about his blade in the dirt. With one swift movement and a _crackle, _he fell to the ground.

Thals, as she was called, held a cattle prod in her hand.

Luke held his club, still covered in red body fluid.

The last two boys remaining huddled together, scared of this duo.

Annabeth's eyes were closed, praying she wouldn't be killed by them.

"Hey, Thalia, let's make a quick job of them."

Thalia. Annabeth silently whispered the word, letting the syllables roll on her tongue. It felt soothing, relaxing

Luke swung his golf club in a wide arc, both of their heads clanging against the brick wall. Thalia flew in, electrifying one in the waist, lashing the other with her silver chain.

Both were bloodied in the head, possibly having a dent in their skull. One had a burn mark on his torso, and the other with a harsh cut across his chest.

Blood dripped to the ground.

_Plit. Plat. Plit. Plat._

It echoed through the alley.


End file.
